From the 1600s through the 19th century, West Africa was home to a succession of sophisticated andpowerful kingdoms. As in Europe, Asia and the Americas during this time, rival powers in West Africa waged bloody wars for economic, political and cultural dominance.
For centuries, theKingdom of Dahomeywas the wealthiest and most feared of these West African powers, and Dahomey became famous for its elite army of women warriors called theAgojie, whom wide-eyed European observers dubbed the "Dahomey Amazons" after their fictional counterparts in Greek myth.
Advertisement
The hit 2022 film "The Woman King" stars Oscar-winner Viola Davis as Nanisca, anAgojiegeneral bravely defending her kingdom, led by King Ghezo, against an unholy alliance between Dahomey's archrival, the Oyo Kingdom and European slave traders.
But while the real-lifeAgojie, the world's only all-female army, were immensely brave and skilled warriors, the filmhas been criticizedfor misrepresenting Dahomey and King Ghezo's true role in the Atlantic slave trade. The truth is that from1640 to 1860, much of Dahomey's wealth came from raiding rival kingdoms and selling millions of captives to Portuguese slave traders. And as Dahomey's finest and fiercest warriors, theAgojiewere critical to the success of those slave-capturing raids.
After the slave trade ended in the mid-19th century, Dahomey's storyline changed and theAgojiewere indeed able play the role of freedom fighters, as the filmmakers would like us to see them. The enemies at that time wereFrench colonizerswho wanted to seize control of West Africa. As always, theAgojiefought valiantly for their king, but their story didn't have a happy ending.
Advertisement